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‘Independence Day’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Shea Serrano
July 5, 2021 · Independence Day (1996) · Action · Adventure · Sci-Fi · 1:25:41 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsBill Pullman — Discusses Bill Pullman's career trajectory after Independence Day, noting he seemed destined for A-list stardom but it never materialized despite strong performance▶ 22:53
Chris RyanBill Pullman — Agrees Pullman seemed like he would become a major movie star after Independence Day but never reached full movie star status, remaining more of a journeyman character actor▶ 23:03
Shea SerranoBill Pullman — Analyzes Pullman's unique acting strengths in subtle moments and quick humor, explaining why he works well in certain roles but may have limited shelf life as leading man▶ 24:31
Most Rewatchable Scene
Chris RyanAgreed with Will Smith sequence, particularly the desert dragging scene as the moment 'Will Smith becomes Will Smith'▶ 34:16
Shea SerranoWill Smith's sequence - punching the alien and dragging it through the desert ('Welcome to Earth')▶ 33:21
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsKevin Spacey — Shares multiple casting what-ifs: Kevin Spacey was originally supposed to be the president but Fox refused; Allie Walker was supposed to play Margaret Colin's character; Jada Pinkett was supposed to be Vivica Fox's character but had scheduling conflict with Nutty Professor; Matthew Perry was originally offered Captain Jimmy Wilder role but pulled out▶ 57:09
Chris RyanMatthew Perry — Thinks Matthew Perry made the right choice pulling out of the Captain Jimmy Wilder role, questioning if he would have done it the same way as Harry Connick Jr.▶ 58:37
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsHarry Connick Jr. — Harry Connick Jr. - considers it 'a category of one' with his loud nine-minute performance including pretending to kiss Will Smith's ass, doing a Jesse Jackson impersonation, and dying▶ 1:01:16
Chris RyanHarry Connick Jr. — Agrees with Connick Jr. pick, emphasizing his memorable scenes of pretending to kiss Will Smith's ass, doing Jesse Jackson impersonation, then dying▶ 1:01:25
Shea SerranoThe alien working shuttle intake on the mothership - describes him as his favorite character, working in a cubicle like it's a regular Tuesday while world-ending events happen around him▶ 1:02:04
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsPresented extensive trivia including film's origin story from Stargate promotion, military backing out due to Area 51, 3000+ special effects shots, White House model destruction, Bill Clinton screening, VHS marketing success, and Robert Loggia airplane/airport confusion incident▶ 1:06:00
Chris RyanParticipated in Oscar nominees guessing game and provided commentary on various trivia points, particularly engaging with Will Smith career discussion▶ 1:07:22
Shea SerranoParticipated in Oscar nominees guessing game, correctly guessing Will Smith and engaging with trivia discussion▶ 1:07:22
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsMultiple questions about logistics: Chicago's status after not getting a spaceship, how Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch could travel from Manhattan to DC in six hours during apocalyptic traffic, and whether Margaret Cullen should have ended up with Bill Pullman instead of Jeff Goldblum▶ 1:17:22
Chris RyanWhat are we looking at after this? What's he the president of? How fast can we get America propped up again?▶ 1:17:07
Shea SerranoI didn't see one single net that needed to be picked when I rewatched this. Everything lined up perfect.▶ 1:19:09
Who Won the Movie
Chris RyanWill Smith — Will Smith - acknowledges Bill Pullman has the best scene but Will Smith makes this movie what it is▶ 1:24:29
Movies Referenced (47)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men in Black (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 5:14 |
| Bad Boys (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 4:59 |
| White House Down (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 21:15 |
| Armageddon (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 12:25 |
| Jurassic Park (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 2:47 |
| Godzilla (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 12:56 |
| Rushmore (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 19:35 |
| 2012 (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 42:22 |
| Deep Impact (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 9:12 |
| War of the Worlds (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 1:14:30 |
| Man on Fire (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:11:57 |
| After Earth (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 52:32 |
Directors Referenced (7)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roland Emmerich | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan | Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow | ▶ 8:05 |
| John Colorado | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Hancock | ▶ 29:54 |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 19:42 |
| Clint Eastwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven | ▶ 38:54 |
| Jill Goodacre | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:12:38 | |
| Steven Soderbergh | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:22:19 | |
| Steven Spielberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan | ▶ 8:25 |
Actors Referenced (64)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Smith | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 37 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan | Men in Black, I Am Legend | ▶ 4:02 |
| Jeff Goldblum | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 27 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano | Jurassic Park, The Fly, The Grand Budapest Hotel | ▶ 3:36 |
| Bill Pullman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 20 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Independence Day, Spaceballs | ▶ 11:56 |
| Betty White | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan | The Proposal | ▶ 9:42 |
| James Rebhorn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons | Independence Day, The Game, The Talented Mr. Ripley | ▶ 44:13 |
| Randy Quaid | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Independence Day, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | ▶ 28:38 |
| Vivica A. Fox | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano | Independence Day, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | ▶ 7:51 |
| Demi Moore | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Striptease, Indecent Proposal | ▶ 1:05:04 |
| Mary McDonnell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Margin Call, Donnie Darko | ▶ 1:00:22 |
| Robert Loggia | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Big, Independence Day, Lost Highway | ▶ 44:05 |
| Adam Baldwin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Serenity, Independence Day, Full Metal Jacket | ▶ 35:30 |
| Al Pacino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather | ▶ 48:31 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Files | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:58 | |
| John Sayles | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:05:28 | |
| Julie Siege | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:30 | |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:58 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 26:55 |